North Carolina student sadness persists

North Carolina education officials used new statewide survey data this week to deliver a mixed picture of teenage well-being: fewer students reported weapons at school, fights, alcohol use and marijuana use, but emotional distress remained widespread. The 2025 High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey was presented to the State Board of Education on August 5, and the Department of Public Instruction said many measures had returned to or improved beyond pre-pandemic levels. (dpi.nc.gov) Nearly 30% of public high-school students still reported persistent sadness or hopelessness, according to the results. Superintendent Maurice “Mo” Green said the findings showed “meaningful progress” while also reinforcing the need to help students feel safe, connected and ready to learn. (abc11.com) ### How much did school-safety data improve? (dpi.nc.gov) The 2025 survey found that 1.1% of students reported carrying a weapon on school property, down from 3.1% in 2023. The share reporting a physical fight fell to 16.4% from 22%, and the percentage who said they missed school because they felt unsafe dropped to 9.9% from 14.6%, according to DPI and ABC11. North Carolina public high-school students also reported declines in several other risky behaviors, and state officials said many of those measures were now at or below levels seen before COVID-19. DPI said the survey showed the state had “returned to and exceeded pre-pandemic levels across nearly all reported measures.” (dpi.nc.gov) ### What does the survey say about sadness and hopelessness? ABC11 reported that 29% of high-school students said they felt persistently sad or hopeless, down from 39% two years earlier. The same report said 11.4% of students seriously considered suicide and 15% reported self-harm. Maurice “Mo” Green said in DPI’s August 5 release that the findings still showed a need to help every student “feel safe, connected and prepared to learn.” Dr. (dpi.nc.gov) Anthony Smith, a psychologist with the Alase Center for Enrichment in Durham, told ABC11 the numbers showed progress but said, “We would like to see those go down more.” ### Why are officials calling this a two-track story? (dpi.nc.gov) The Department of Public Instruction said the 2025 results combined evidence of improvement with continuing needs in mental health, sleep, school connection and student readiness. The survey was anonymous and voluntary and covered safety, mental health, substance use, tobacco and vaping, sexual behavior, physical activity, nutrition, sleep and school connection. (abc11.com) A total of 1,692 students from 25 traditional public and charter high schools completed usable surveys in spring 2025, DPI said. The department said the weighted results were representative of regular public and charter high-school students in grades 9 through 12 statewide. (dpi.nc.gov) ### How was this survey conducted? DPI said 2025 was the first administration of a combined Youth Risk Behavior Survey and Youth Tobacco Survey. North Carolina Healthy Schools says the statewide YRBS is conducted in the spring of every odd-numbered year and is used to track behaviors that affect students’ health now and later in life. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes the broader YRBSS system as a set of surveys that tracks behaviors linked to poor health among high-school students. (dpi.nc.gov) North Carolina’s version includes questions on violence, personal safety, mental health, tobacco, drugs and alcohol, among other topics. ### What happens next inside North Carolina schools? North Carolina’s school mental-health reporting rules already require public school units to submit annual mental-health plan information to DPI. (dpi.nc.gov) The department says that by September 15 each year, school systems must report the content of their school-based mental-health plans, including training programs and suicide-risk referral protocols, along with staffing and service-contact data tied to student wellness. Middle-school results from the latest survey are not yet available, DPI said. The August 5 State Board presentation and the upcoming September 15 reporting deadline give state officials two near-term checkpoints as they decide where school-based supports may be needed. (dpi.nc.gov 1) (dpi.nc.gov 2) (cdc.gov)